Shaft mechanism for centrifugal machines.



PATENTED JULY 25, 1905.

H. MOOORNAGK.

SHAFT MECHANISM FOR GBNTRIPUGAL MACHINES.

APPLICATION I'ILEDDEG. 14. 1903.

anmm l'oz attozwu UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SHAFT MECHANISM FOR CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1905.

Application filed December 14, 1903. Serial No. 185,007.

To a whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT MoCoRNAcK, a citizen of the United States,residing in the borough of lVestchester, county of Chester, State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ShaftMechanism for Centrifugal Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to the mounting of centrifugal machines; and itconsists in certain improvements in the manner of supporting, driving,and lubricating the shaft and in the relative arrangement of thecentrifugal vessel suspended therefrom.

The invention is fully described in connection with the accompanyingdrawings and the novel features are specifically pointed out in theclaims.

Figure 1 of the drawings shows a sectional elevation of a portion of acentrifugal machine having my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is anenlarged detail view.

The machine illustrated is similar in general arrangement to that shownin my prior patent, No. 706,088, issued to me August 5, 1902, thecentrifugal vessel 1, of tubular form, being separably coupled to ahanging shaft 2, which is carried upon a top bearing 3, provided in theframe of the machine, and the hollow lower end 4: of said pendent vesselbeing provided with a stead ying-bearing mounted in the lower portion ofthe casing 5, which incloses the vessel. The general operation of thepresent machine is also similar, the rapid rotation of the hangingvessel 1 by means of the shaft 2 while feeding a compound liquid, suchas milk, to said vessel through the bottom inlet 6 thereto effecting therapid separation of the liquid into its constituentparts, which areseparately discharged through outlets 7 and 8, respectively, intoseparate milk and cream pans 9 and 10, as usual. In my presentconstruction, however, are embodied a number of improvements which areshown in connection with a hand-operated machine and whichI will nowparticularly describe.

In order to secure the requisite centrifugal action for rapid andeffective separation, it is essential that the centrifugal vessel andits shaft 2 shall be rotated at very high speed, and where the tubularform of vessel is employed, as shown in the drawings, its small diameterrequires that the shaft be rotated at especially high speed. Toaccomplish this satisfactorily, especially with a simple system ofgearing, such as is desirable, is an important object of my invention.In order to gear quickly up to the required high speed, a worm 11 on theshaft 2 and a worm-wheel 12, meshing directly therewith to drive theshaft, are employed; but in order to make this constructionsatisfactorily operative I have found it essential that the worm 11 onthe shaft should be so arranged as to be capable of rotationindependently of the shaft and so as to transmit to the shaft only alimited rotating strain sufficient to insure the gradual increase ofspeed and its maintenance at the normal during operation while adaptedto itself turn upon the shaft when subjected to undue strain and in suchmanner as to prevent the jarring and unsteadiness of rotation whichotherwise results at best in very unsatisfactory operation of themachine. To attain this object and at the same time provide for thesatisfactory lubrication of the parts, I employ the preferredconstruction shown in the drawings, which I will now particularlydescribe.

The shaft 2 is inclosed in a shaft-casing 13, forming, as shown, anextension of the gearcasing 14 and a portion of the frame of themachine. A suitable suspension-bearing 3, already referred to, isprovided at the top of the said shaft-casing, in which the conebearing-sleeve 15 at the upper end of the-shaft bears, while the lowerdepending portion of said shaft passes loosely through a removable plug16, which closes an enlarged opening 17 in the bottom of saidshaft-casing. The hanging centrifugal vessel 1 is suitably coupled at 18to the projecting lower end of the shaft and-is rotated in the casing 5,which also forms part of the frame of the machine, as shown, and isconstructed as hereinafter described. Below the suspension-bearing3 andwithin the shaft-casing the shaft is formed, as shown, with a conicalshoulder 20. Loosely strung upon the shaft above this shoulder is theworm 11, the central opening in which is slightly larger than the shaftand countersunk,

so as to be centered by and frictionally bear upon said conicalshoulder. Strung upon the shaft above the worm 11 is a conicalcentering-ring 21, seatingin a correspondmg countersink of the worm, andabove this cone-ring is a spiral spring 22, strung upon the shaft andhaving its lower end engaging the conering. Finally,the conebearing-sleeve 15 upon the upper end of the shaft is secured to thelatter by means of the tapered screw 23 in the split end of the shaft insuch a manner as to produce a proper tension upon the spring 22, saidbearing-sleeve forming an engaging shoulder for the upper end of saidspring. The effect of thus constructing, it will be read ily seen, is toprovide a frictional engagement between the worm 11 and its shaft 2, theamount of driving friction between them being determined by the tensionof the spring 22 and said worm being capable of rotation on the shaftwhen subjected to a rotating strain in excess of the normal providedfor. Furthermore, owing to the fact that the worm is bored slightlylarger than the shaft and centered on the latter by the conical shoulder20 and centering-ring 21 it is capable of a very slight lateral movementon the shaft by wedging upward the spring-backed centering-ring, whichassists in avoiding jars and unsteadiness of rotation.

The gearing provided in the construction shown for rotating the shaftcomprises the worm-wheel 12, meshing directly with the worm 11, togetherwith spur-wheels 25 and 26 and. pinions 27 and 28, all of which arelocated in the gear-casing 14, which is also adapted to serve as anoil-chamber.

The location of the worm below the bearing 3, with the spring 22intervening, permits the use of a directly-meshing worm-wheel 12 ofconsiderable diameter, the periphery of which rotates in close proximityto said bearing. When the machineis in operation, the rapidlyrotatingspur-wheel 25, which dips into the stored oil, throws the latter uponall the incased gearing, and the worm-wheel 12, the pe riphery of whichpreferably rotates in an upward direction adjacent to the bearing 3, asindicated, insures positive oiling of the latter as well. To preventescape of oil through the removable guard-plug 16, which looselyincloses the lower portion of the depending shaft, 1 form upon thelatter a shoulder 30, upon which is supported an oil -shield 31, strungupon the shaft below the Worm 11 and which serves to deflect the oilfrom the body of the shaft into an annular groove 32, formed in theupper face of said guard-plug, from which it is returned through anoutlet 33 to the oil-chamber.

What I claim is t 1. A shaft having a conical shoulder, a

' drive-gear rotatably mounted thereon in frictional contact with saidshoulder, a longitudinally-movable cone-sleeve mounted on said shaft infrictional contact with said gear, and

a spring pressing said sleeve and the inter posed gear toward saidshoulder.

2. A shaft having a conical shoulder, a drive-gear rotatably mountedthereon in frictional contact with said shoulder, alongitudinally-movable sleeve mounted on said shaft in frictionalcontact with said gear, and a coilspring on said shaft engaging saidsleeve to yieldingly resist turning movement thereof and pressing saidsleeve and the interposed gear toward said shoulder.

3. A shaft having a conical shoulder, a drive-gear rotatably mountedthereon in frictional. contact with said shoulder, a longitudinally-movable cone-sleeve mounted on said shaft in frictional contactwith said gear, and a coil-spring on said shaft engaging said sleeve toyieldingly resist turning movement thereof and pressing said sleeve andthe interposed gear toward said shoulder.

t. The combination with a supportingframe of a suspended shaft having asuspension-bearing at its upper end, a drive-gear rotatably mounted onsaid shaft below said bearing in frictional contact with a shoulder onsaid shaft, a spring pressing on said gear to produce frictionalresistance to rotation thereof, and a driving mechanism engaging saidgear.

5. The combination with an inclosing gearcasing and oil-receptacle, of asuspended shaft having a suspension-bearing at its upper end, anddepending through an opening therefor in said casing, a worm-gear onsaid shaft below said suspension -bearing, oil retaining means inclosingsaid shaft above said opening, and meshing driving-gears mounted in saidcasing and serving to distribute oil to the inclosed shaft.

6. The combination with an inclosing gearcasing and oil-receptacle, of asuspended shaft having a suspension-bearing at its upper end anddepending through an opening in said casing, a drive-gear on said shaftbelow said suspension-bearing, a removable hollow plug in saidcasing-opening, loosely inclosing the suspended shaft, and anoil-retaining collar on said shaft.

7. A shaft having a conical shoulder, a drive-gear thereon having anenlarged bore and centered upon said conical shoulder, a cone-sleevethereon centering the opposite end of said drive-gear, and a springarranged to yieldingly press said cone-sleeve and interposed gear towardsaid shoulder, whereby said gear is frictionally engaged with the shaftand capable of slight lateral movement thereon.

8. A suspension driving-shaft having its upper portion of reduceddiameter thereby forming a supporting-shoulder thereon, and anenlargement forming a lower shoulder of increased diameter, incombination with an oil-retaining collar strung upon said shaft incontact With said lower shoulder and a drivegear, a follower-sleeve, acoil-spring and a suspension bearing-sleeve successively strung uponsaid reduced portion, said bearing-sleeve being rigidly secured to theshaft and said drive-gear being pressed against the supporting-shoulderby the interposed spring and follower-sleeve.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in i the presence of tWoWitnesses.

HERBERT MOCORNACK. Witnesses:

ETH EL RUPERT, MARY E. RUPERT.

